On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes razed homes in Gaza for the second day in retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire into southern Israel, heightening worries of a catastrophic escalation in the Mideast conflict.

The combat began after Israel killed a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group in a wave of strikes on Friday designed to avert an "imminent attack" according to Israel.

Health officials in the Palestinian coastal enclave reported 15 deaths and at least 100 injuries due to Israeli attacks on multiple places in the blockaded territory.

Two women and a five-year-old girl are among the confirmed fatalities. Authorities did not specify whether or if the other individuals were civilians.

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli airplanes intensified their attacks by striking four residential structures in Gaza City, all of which were believed to be associated with Islamic Jihad fighters.

There were no casualties reported. In each instance, the Israeli military stated that civilians were notified beforehand.

According to the Israeli military, Gaza militants reacted on Saturday by shooting roughly 450 rockets into Israel, although almost all were intercepted.

The military added that a rocket barrage was fired on Tel Aviv, causing sirens to sound and civilians to rush to shelters, but the missiles were either intercepted or fell into the sea.

Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid convened a security Cabinet meeting after declaring in a speech on Friday night that "Israel is not interested in a wider conflict in Gaza, but will not shy away from one either."

In a Saturday Israeli strike, a car was struck, killing a 75-year-old woman and wounded six others.

In one of the attacks, following the warnings, fighter jets dropped two bombs on the residence of a member of Islamic Jihad.

The explosion leveled the two-story building, producing a massive crater filled with debris and severely damaged nearby homes. Women and children were evacuated as quickly as possible.

"Advised us? "They warned us with rockets, and we fled without taking anything," said Huda Shamalakh, a neighbor who stated that 15 people resided in the targeted residence.

Six children and two women were among the 24 Palestinians killed, along with the top Islamic Jihad commander.

Saturday at noon, the sole power plant in Gaza shut down due to a lack of fuel, as Israel has kept its crossings into Gaza closed since Tuesday.

With the latest disruption, Gazans have access to energy for only four hours per day, increasing their reliance on private generators and aggravating the territory's chronic power problem during the height of summer.

The Israeli military also said that a stray missile fired by Palestinian militants killed people, including children, in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya on Saturday night.

The military stated that it investigated the event and decided "without a doubt" that Islamic Jihad was responsible for the misfire. No official Palestinian statement was made regarding the incident.

A Palestinian medical worker, who was not authorized to brief the media and spoke anonymously to The Associated Press, stated that at least six people, including three children, were killed in the explosion.

Hamas, the larger terrorist group that administers Gaza, has thus far appeared to remain on the sidelines of the fight, thereby moderating its severity.

Israel and Hamas fought a war less than a year ago, one of four significant confrontations and numerous more minor battles over the past 15 years that have taken a catastrophic toll on the 2 million Palestinian residents of the impoverished area.

Whether Hamas continues to abstain from fighting relies on the severity of Israel's reprisals against Gaza as rocket fire persists.

As Jews observe Tisha B'av, a solemn fast day commemorating the fall of the historic temples, Sunday could be a pivotal day in the escalation. Israeli media said that the Israeli leadership was expected to allow parliamentarians to visit a prominent hilltop holy site in the city that is a flashpoint for unrest between Israelis and Palestinians. Thousands are anticipated at Jerusalem's Western Wall.

In a televised address on Friday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stated, "Israel is not interested in a larger conflict in Gaza, but will not shy away from one either."

The most recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza was precipitated by the arrest of a prominent Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank earlier this week as part of a months-long Israeli military campaign in the territory. A teen member of Islamic Jihad was also slain in the gunfight.

Israel immediately sealed down Gaza's roads and dispatched reinforcements to the border, threatening reprisal. Taiseer al-Jabari, the Islamic Jihad leader for northern Gaza, was murdered in an attack on a Gaza City apartment complex on Friday.

Two extremist squads armed with anti-tank missiles posed an "imminent threat," according to a military spokesman for Israel.